When Lightning Strikes Twice
by Lauren Ashleigh
Summary: Heero is finally able to voice his reasons for shunning his daughter in her time of greatest need. He has forgiven her sins- but can she forgive his? (SEQUEL TO FIRST DATE!!!)
1. Another Sastistic

When Lightning Strikes Twice  
  
By Lolo Winner  
  
Chapter One: Another Statistic  
  
Disclaimer- I do not own the Gundam gang. I may own the plushies *hugs Quatre plushie* but I don't own the real charas. Those belong to Bandai, TV Ashi, and Sunrise  
  
Note- Sorry it took me so long to get this up! This is the much anticipated (well maybe not MUCH, but it was anticipated) sequel to "First Date" There is less humor in this fiction for reasons you will see very very soon. It's not finished yet, for it has no ending thus far. Hopefully though it will soon. Oh, it's also a good deal longer. I'm starting a trend of short firsts with long follow-ups, sorry about that. Now with out further ado I give you my story!  
  
Relena knocked on Mel's bathroom door again, "Sweetheart are you sure you are alight? You've been in there for over an hour."  
  
"I'm fine." Mel said though her tears.  
  
"You don't sound find. Come out here and talk to me."  
  
"You wouldn't understand."  
  
"I just might. Why don't you humor me?"  
  
Thoughts swirled though Mel's head as she sat in her dry tub, hugging her knees, /She is going to find out sooner or later./ She told herself.  
  
/I would prefer later to sooner./ She thought back.  
  
/She's setting it up for you to tell her, you won't be handed another opportunity like this./Mel sighed a ragged, shaky sigh. Her mind was right. Slowly and reluctantly she stood and opened her bathroom door. She walked right past her mother and sat on her bed. She slid across to the headboard as Relena took a seat on the edge.  
  
Relena looked at Mel. Her gaze wasn't harsh, but worried and caring. Mel was afraid the emotions portrayed in her eyes would shift suddenly in a very short amount of time. Mel tried to find the best way to say what had to be said. She had spent the majority of the last hour cooking up dozens of dialogues.  
  
"Father isn't home yet, is he?" She asked quietly after a few moments of silence.  
  
"No, if you want though, I can call him home."  
  
Mel shook her head; her father was the very last person she wanted to know. /Now or never./ Her mind reminded her. She wiped the tears that streaked her face. She took in a deep breath of air to try and prepare herself. "Well," She started slowly, "you know how I've been sick lately?" Relena nodded. "Well. I. um." She stuttered, not one of her makeup sanarios seemed to want to be voiced at that moment. She drew her knees closer to her chest and stared down at her comforter, refusing to make eye contact. "I've missed my last two periods." Her voice was barely audible behind her knees.  
  
"You aren't suggesting." Relena asked, her voice filling with fear.  
  
Mel nodded as a new wave of tears flowed from her eyes. "I'm pregnant."  
  
Relena gasped, her hand quickly flew up, covering her mouth. The hand covering her mouth was shaking. She was quiet for a moment, pushing the denial out of the way to make way for reasonable thinking. "Are you sure?" She finally asked.  
  
Mel nodded. She looked towards the bathroom. Relena followed the gaze, suspecting the answer lie in what they were looking at. She was right. An opened box of pregnancy tests lay open on the counter.  
  
Relena stared at the box in silence. Mel was afraid of what she would say when she finally decided to speak. "Does Clint know?" She said with a surprising tone of gentleness.  
  
Mel shook her head, "I haven't told anyone yet."  
  
Relena moved across the bed, over to Mel. She wrapped her arms around her shoulders. "Don't worry," She assured, "we'll think of something." Even as she said the words, she wasn't sure if they were true.  
  
Mel squeezed her eyes shut, trying to stop the tears. "I'm so scared." She hiccupped though the sobs.  
  
"I know, I know. Right now you need to rest. Let me think of what we are going to do."  
  
"You aren't going to tell father are you?"  
  
"We have to tell him Mel-Anna." Mel shook her head, "I won't tell him yet okay? Everything is going to be fine, understand?" Mel didn't understand she nodded nonetheless. "Good, now rest."  
  
Relena shut Mel's door. She sighed; pressing her back against the door she let her back slid down until she was on the floor. She sat quietly for a few minutes; her head was pounding from the thoughts that ran though her mind. /Get a hold of yourself Relena. You're the strong one remember? Now isn't the time to loose that roll./ She tried to convince herself.  
  
She continued to sit, unable to find the strength to back those words. There was no way she could get though this alone. /You're too strong for this. You can rule the world but you can't deal with one crisis?/  
  
"It's more complicated then that." She whispered out loud, the sound of her voice startled her.  
  
It was complicated. With her place in the government she wasn't sure what this would do. Would people look at this and ask, 'She can't even control he own daughter, how can she take control of this'? Sure, she also realized, that because of her roll, and her money, she could easily cover this up, and pretend that it never happened. At that moment she didn't see how the later could ever play out.  
  
/Well you aren't going to find an answer by sitting there on the floor crying./ This thought sent a new strength though her system. She stood shakily, and went to the phone downstairs. She picked it up and hesitated.  
  
Who could she call? It had to be someone who would understand, someone who could keep something to them self. Most of all, it had to be someone how could be supportive. She quickly decided that Noin was her friend that fit all these conditions.  
  
"Hello?" Noin's voice said.  
  
"Noin? It's Relena."  
  
"Relena what's wrong, you've been crying haven't you? Tell me what's the problem."  
  
Millardo poked his head in from the other room. "What's wrong with Relena?" Noin motioned for him to stay away. Reluctantly, he went upstairs.  
  
"Oh Noin, I'm so sorry to trouble you."  
  
"Don't even give it a second though. I really don't mind. Now please, tell me what is wrong."  
  
  
  
Heero came in a few minutes later. He heard Relena talking and decided to leave her alone.  
  
"Mel-Anna was in the bathroom crying for over an hour." Heero stopped his climb upstairs and listened to the conversation. "No, Heero doesn't know yet. I'm not sure how to tell him. I know, I know, but seriously, what am I going to say? 'Hi honey you will never guess what happened! Your daughter's pregnant!'" Relena said in mock excitement.  
  
Heero's grip on the banister intensified. The wood cracked under the pressure. Relena heard the crack. Pounding steps up the stairs followed it. /Oh no, Heero over heard me./ Relena started to run after him letting the phone slip out of her hand and clatter to the floor.  
  
She caught up to him in the hall, "Heero stop, she's sleeping." Heero didn't answer her, and he didn't stop. "Please she's scared. Wait until you calm down." She pleaded. He still didn't stop, they were getting closer and closer to Mel's door.  
  
Relena stepped in front of him. She trusted her arms out on either side, blocking his way. "Please stop, do this later when you aren't blinded by rage and she isn't scared out of her mind."  
  
"Why should I stop?" Heero snapped.  
  
"She's been though a lot."  
  
"No shit." He said angrily, he tried to redirect his anger. "I knew that kid was trouble." He pointed his finger at Relena, "Why did I let you talk me into letting her see him?"  
  
Heero didn't wait for an answer. He turned sharply and charged down the stairs. All was quiet for a moment as he retrieved his gun. He stormed out the door. The whole house shuttered with the force from the slamming from the door. The roar of an engine and screeching tiers replaced the echoing slam.  
  
Heero didn't bother knocking on the Maxwell residence. He burst though the door, startling Hilde who was busy fixing dinner. Duo and Clint looked up from the basketball game on the television. Clint stood, "Mr. Yuy, what brings you here?"  
  
Heero stormed across the kitchen and into the living room. Clint's eyes lit up with fear as he grabbed him by the neck and slammed him against the wall. Heero drew his gun and pressed the cold barrel against Clint's forehead.  
  
Hilde screamed. Duo gawked for a moment, unable to believe what was happening.  
  
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you."  
  
"Because I don't know what I did wrong." Clint croaked.  
  
Heero took the safety off The gun clicked.  
  
"Now Heero calm down. You don't want to do something you're gunna regret." Duo reasoned, "Let's put the gun down and talk this out." Heero only tightened his grip. Clint gasped for air.  
  
"Heero you're going to kill him!" Hilde yelled.  
  
"I still don't have a good reason."  
  
"What gives? I didn't do anything!"  
  
"Didn't do anything?" Heero threw Clint to the floor. "Mel's pregnant! To me, that qualifies as doing something!" He re-aimed the gun at his head.  
  
All of the color drained from Clint's face as he tried to breath. Duo's jaw dropped, "Oh my God." He said wide-eyed.  
  
Hilde gasped; her hands went to covering her mouth, "Oh Clint. How could you?"  
  
Heero's eyes left Clint for a second. They cut into Duo, "Like father like son eh Duo?" He said bitterly before turning back to Clint, "Now lets try this again. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you."  
  
"Because I'm going to be a father!" Clint yelled, in desperate defense.  
  
The sound of a dropped gym bag filled the air. Heero and Clint didn't look over to the door, where Clint's younger sister Sky now stood. She had just gotten home from track practice. Hilde rushed to her daughter, a maternal instinct to protect her offspring. "Whoa, cool. Hey Mr. Yuy, go for it!" She called out.  
  
"Sky, shut up." Duo scolded.  
  
Sky didn't stop though, "So Clint, you knocked up Mel, I knew that would happen."  
  
"Geeze, don't say knocked up!" Clint said. He edged himself across the floor, trying to escape Heero's wrath.  
  
"Sky!" Duo snapped.  
  
If things weren't chaotic enough the phone started to ring. No one tried to answer it, since there were much more important things at hand. "Hi you've reached the Maxwell's," Sky's recorded voice said, "If ya want to leave a message for the parentals- aka Duo and Hilde, stay on the line. If you want Clint push star one, and for yours truly the magic buttons are star two. Oh yeah, and leave your name and number, otherwise we won't know who to call back. Ja!" There was the sound of the beep.  
  
"Hilde? Duo? It's Relena." Heero looked over to the phone. Clint took the opportunity to get off the floor. "I know that Heero is there, and that you all know by now. Please come over to our home right away so that we can discuses this, and please, bring Clint. Oh, and Heero, behave yourself." She hung up the phone. 


	2. The Plan

Chapter Two: The plan  
  
Author Note: I decited to make chapter one a little shorter, if you are wondering. So any of the people who read the first part already, yes, you have read this before. Don't stop though, there is more.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing. Maybe if I become rich enough off of my novels, in the near future, then I'll buy it. But right now, those wonderful people over in Japan own in. If you want to know who they are: Bandai, TV Ashi, and Sunrise  
  
  
  
The Yuy's living room was at a stale mate. Hilde, Clint, and Duo, in that order at on a couch on one side of the coffee table as Mel-Anna, Relena, and Heero sat across. Heero intended on making this one big staring contest; he would of succeeded if Relena wasn't there to start off.  
  
The color still hadn't returned to Clint's face. He sat there with a glazed expression, going over the truth of the matter. Mel was also frightened. She refused to sit next to her father. She tried to push herself as far into the corner of the couch as possible. She sat with her knees drawn up to her chest, her comforting posture. She tried to hide the threatening tears as they crashed against the dam of her eyelids. The flood gates were about to be opened though, and every once and a while, a stray tear would get though the defenses and carve a path down her once perfect skin, which now was on the edge of a brake out.  
  
Relena was the one to break the extremely awkward silence. Her sweet and calm voice broke though the room like a knife though warm butter. The silence was divided, and the seemingly impenetrable void between the two families was breached. "I spoke to my sister-in-law about…" She searched for the right words, "the matter at hand." She decided was the softest way to put it, "We agreed that for the sake of the children that we should say that Mel was rapped."  
  
Clint looked up from his silent thinking, "If you are saying that so that I don't have to take responsibility, it's okay. I'm fully prepared to take it."  
  
Relena shook her head, "Clint, your eighteen."  
  
He looked bewildered, Hilde decided to elaborate for those who weren't familiar with the law, "Mel's a minor Clint; this qualifies as statutory rape." Heero looked up at Relena, then to Clint, with a conspicuous look.  
  
Even though Clint said it though clenched teeth, they all heard his muttered curse. He suddenly looked very scared, "Mom, I don't want to go to jail."  
  
"I know honey, that is why we are going to say that Mel was raped. We can say that it happened when you were walking in the park, and that it was too dark for you to see what happened. They won't be able to find the 'suspect' so there will be nothing that the police can do."  
  
"Why should we?" Heero said. "I say we tell the truth." Relena glared at him. "What?" He asked in defense, "It's statutory rape, Hilde said so herself. I say we send his sorry ass to jail."  
  
Mel, livid, broke her silence, "Father stop. Clint didn't rape me, I was the one who wanted to do it in the first place, not him." Heero glared at her shocked, "It's true." She muttered.  
  
"Mel! How could you!?" Heero yelled.  
  
"Heero, stop."  
  
"No Relena, I want to know."  
  
Mel some how found the courage, "You really want to know father? It started as my Christmas present to Clint. I love him, and I wanted him to know. So I would let him have me in the back of his truck. Happy father?" She spit the spiteful words out.  
  
Relena and Hilde both gasped. Clint hung his head with shame. Duo tried to hide his smile, for some reason he was getting joy out of seeing Heero so distraught. "My daughter is a dirty slut." Heero mumbled as he walked out of the room.  
  
"Mr. Yuy I-" Clint started in defense of Mel.  
  
"Clint, let him be. He'll calm down." Relena said.  
  
The floodgates broke, the tears started once more down Mel's face. "I'm a dirty slut." She whispered though the sobs.  
  
"No you aren't." Relena comforted.  
  
Mel looked up to her mother. Suddenly she broke from her fetal position and ran from the room to the bathroom. The sounds of her vomiting could be heard. Clint stood and ran after her.  
  
For another moment or two the three remaining parents stared at each other. Each one looked five years older then they had that morning. Shakily, Relena continued with the plan they had thought up.  
  
  
  
Clint rubbed Mel's back comfortingly as she heaved in convulsions over the toilet. When she was done she stared to cry. She turned from the toilet and buried herself into Clint's chest. "Am I really a dirty slut Clint?" She asked.  
  
"No, no you aren't."  
  
"Don't lie to me Clint. I am aren't I? My father's right. I'm just a dirty slut with her bastard child."  
  
"Stop that talk Mel." Clint said, he pulled her away and looked into her deep turquoise eyes with his own cobalt blues, "This isn't just your fault, it's both of ours. Please, let me take some of the blame instead of putting it all on yourself. We'll get though this, I know we will."  
  
"Promise?" She asked.  
  
"Promise."  
  
Mel smiled sadly. Before she could utter another word she turned to the toilet again.  
  
  
  
Duo and Hilde drove home silently that night from the upper class district to their own home a few miles away in a middle class section of the colony. Clint wanted to walk home, neither parent objected to the idea. He wanted to think, and they wanted to have the chance alone. Duo broke the silence a mile away from Heero's home. "Are you sure he isn't Quatre's?" He said.  
  
"Duo." She said in a voice that showed that she was hurt by his very suggestion that she had cheated on him.  
  
"I mean, cuz he's being all noble and responsible."  
  
"Sweety, do you remember when I told you about Clint for the first time?"  
  
He laughed dryly, "How could I forget?"  
  
"Do you remember what you did?"  
  
"You mean after I nearly passed out?"  
  
"Remember how you wouldn't give into the temptation to leave me?"  
  
"Well yeah, I wasn't going to run from my mistake."  
  
"Exactly. Luckily for us, Clint seems to have inherited that trait."  
  
"Yeah, he also knocked up his girlfriend like I did." Duo mumbled.  
  
  
  
The sounds of gunfire echoed though the backyard. Relena walked over to Heero's side. She watched as he emptied the chamber of his glock all into the center of the furthest target. She waited until he had to reload. "I thought you might come here." She said.  
  
"Hmph." Heero grunted as he continued to reload the gun.  
  
"Heero, why did you say that to her?"  
  
"What's wrong Relena, afraid of the truth?" He asked as he re-aimed the gun. He fired all six bullets consecutively into the target, each one hitting the bull's-eye.  
  
"Stop it!" Relena yelled, "Jesus Heero! She is scared out of her freaking mind, you don't go and call her a slut. She's your own daughter for Christ's sake!"  
  
"When I get my hands on him…" Heero didn't bother to reload all the bullets. He put in one and aimed it at the target that was cut in the shape of a man. He shot the bullet right though the head, light from one of the outdoor lamps poured in though the hole.  
  
"I want you to apologize."  
  
"To who?"  
  
"You know to who, Heero. Now stop being an ass and be supportive."  
  
"I don't believe her. You know she just made that up so that I wouldn't go after Clint again. It didn't work."  
  
"Perhaps she did, I my self admire her courage. There were so many other ways she could have handled this Heero. She could of gone off and gotten an abortion and never told us. Her and Clint could of run off somewhere, never to be seen by us again. She could of never told us, and tried to hide her pregnancy from us. But she didn't Heero, she didn't. She took the right road, the hardest road, and told us. Can't you see how hard that was for her to do?"  
  
"Why are you trying to justify it?"  
  
"Because no good will come from ignoring the facts."  
  
"The facts, Relena, are that our sixteen year old daughter was impregnated by the one guy I can't stand's eighteen year old son. The facts are that she defied our rules, and allowed this to happen. The facts are that she can never again be called my daughter." 


	3. Shoping

Chapter Three: Shopping  
  
By: Lolo Winner  
  
Disclaimer: Although I do not own all the regular Gundam Wing characters I do own both Mel and Clint. As for everyone else; I'm not making money on this story, nor does anyone back in Japan know that I'm using the characters so shhhhhh. So I don't get sued (even though I don't know why anyone would want to sue a teenage fan fiction writer) I just want you all to know that. Enjoy! ^.^  
  
  
  
The quiet crying, no mater how hard Mel tried to mask it, could be heard outside her room. Relena leaned her ear against the door. She was already worried since Mel had missed breakfast that morning, and hadn't even been seen outside of her room. She gave a little warning knock and let herself in.  
  
Mel was sitting on the floor, every outfit she owned lay in disorder all around her. "They don't fit." She wined.  
  
Relena knelled down next to her, "Oh honey."  
  
"None of my skirts fit me. And- and my shoes, they don't fit either."  
  
"I can't believe I didn't think about that. Why don't you just ware something else today? I'll write a note explaining why you aren't in uniform, and I'll call in an order for some new ones."  
  
She shook her head, "They don't fit either."  
  
It was clear to Relena that Mel was in no shape to attend school anyways. She too had gotten word of the nasty rumors that were spreading like wild fire around the school. "I'll tell you what. Why don't I go call the school, and tell them you aren't feeling well. Then I'll cancel all my meetings today and we'll spend the day together."  
  
"Really?" She wiped the tears off her cheeks with the back of her hand.  
  
"Um-hum. We can go get pampered at the spa, and do all those mother- daughter things we haven't had time for lately. First though, we will go to the tailor and have them let out your uniform, and buy you some new clothes."  
  
"I'm sure they won't miss their poor little pregnant student." She mumbled.  
  
Relena pretended that she hadn't heard her, "Come now, let's get you off the cold floor." Relena said. She helped Mel to her feet. Her stomach bulged slightly underneath her satin nightgown. Relena patted her belly, "No wonder your clothes don't fit. You're growing fast."  
  
"That's what everyone is telling me."  
  
"It looks like you are going to be just like me." Relena shook her head a little.  
  
"And what is that suppose to mean?"  
  
"Oh it's a curse to us petite woman. Our little bundles of joy have nowhere to grow but out. I was out to here with you." Relena put her arms out far from her body.  
  
"Surly you weren't /that/ big mother."  
  
"Oh no, I'm not exaggerating." She laughed, "Even though the ultrasound only showed one, everyone thought that I was going to have twins."  
  
Mel almost looked scared. She knew that she would grow, but it had never occurred to her how big she would get. Relena tried to undo the damage, "There's nothing wrong with that. It simply means that you get to buy maternity clothes earlier, and since you show sooner, you easily get more help."  
  
"That may be fine for a married woman, but I would rather if people didn't know I was pregnant as soon as this." She said. Her hand went to her stomach, as a visual aid.  
  
"Come on sweetheart, let's get started on our day of fun before you start to get sick."  
  
"Only one problem mother," She swept her hand across the room, "I can't go shopping in my pajamas."  
  
Relena looked up at the ceiling for an answer, "I'm sure your father wouldn't mind if you borrowed a pair of his pants." She looked back down, "Only until we get you something more suitable, that is." She whispered into Mel's ear, "Not that you would want to wear men's pants any longer then you would have to anyways." She winked. Mel couldn't help but laugh; laugh at the absurdity of the matter, laugh at the seriousness of it.  
  
When Mel and Relena returned from their day on the town it was nearly six. Mel was already starting to feel sick. Her morning, or more appropriately evening, sickness was slowly coming into play. By 6:30 she would be vomiting up the wonderful lunch they had eaten at a little café on the classiest street on the colony, Mel rightfully collapsed on the couch. She hadn't bothered to shed off the shopping bags. Her left and hung over the side of the couch her fingers still loosely clinging to the handles of the maternity store clothing bag. Her other arm rested on her swollen stomach, the bags covering up her new maternity slacks and blouse.  
  
Heero sat at his computer, designing a new program. Relena disguarded her bags in the entry and went to him. "Hi. She said as she rested her hand on the back of his chair. Heero looked up from his work. Relena leaned over and kissed him.  
  
"You two look beat, busy shopping day?"  
  
"Yes, Mel-Anna should be set. Mel, want to show your father your new clothes?"  
  
Heero continued despite her suggestion, "The school called."  
  
"Oh shoot."  
  
"What's wrong mother?"  
  
"Well it's to late now, but I forgot to call you in sick, and to get the form for some new uniforms. Oh well, I made sure that at least one skirt is ready for tomorrow so it's no worry." She turned to Heero, "I'm booked solid tomorrow from 6 am on, you mind swinging by the tailors for me?"  
  
"Hm." His little grunt could mean so many things. Through years of marriage Relena learned to tell the difference meanings of that one syllable; which her husband used to answer everything. In this case, 'hm' meant, 'I would rather not, but I will.'  
  
She glared at him, making sure he caught the look, "We'll talk later." She whispered to him.  
  
"Oh father, I better return these before I forget." She sat up and rummaged though her bags. She pulled out his pants and walked across the room to hand them to him. "Thanks for letting me borrow them."  
  
He didn't acknowledge her. Instead he faced Relena again, "You let her wear my pants?"  
  
"Of course I did, nothing else fit."  
  
"You just assume that I would let /her/ wear my pants?"  
  
"Heero." She said though her teeth. She motioned her head back to Mel- who was standing there dumbfounded, staring at her father with a crushed look.  
  
"Let her hear." He replied. "I'm not going to pretend that I forgive her." He faced Mel, "I don't forgive you." He said harshly.  
  
"That's okay, I didn't expect you to." She muttered as she slowly slinked out of the room like a zombie.  
  
"Heero, what was that all about?"  
  
"I'm not going to play house with this, like you are. Unlike you, I'm not found of the fact that our daughter is another a statistic."  
  
She shook her head, "You need to let go of that Heero, it's time to move on."  
  
He had expected her to read his mind, he was prepared to pretend like that wasn't the reason, "It is behind me, but this isn't." He stood, "I'm going to work on the car." He left without another word to tinker with the old junker he was restoring as a hobby.  
  
Relena rushed upstairs to see how Mel was. She knocked on her door. "Are you in here?"  
  
"Leave me alone." Came the muffled reply.  
  
Relena tried the door only to find it locked. "Please open the door and let me explain."  
  
"Explain what?"  
  
"I. just let me in, I'm not going to speak to you though the door." Mel reluctantly opened the door. She went back and sat down on her bed, retreating to the corner.  
  
Relena followed her in, and sat at the edge of the bed. It accrued to her how much this resembled the scene when she first learned of Mel's pregnancy. The thought accrued to Mel as well; she decided to break the ice with that. "Doesn't this look familiar?" She asked. She wiped the tears from her eyes and tried to compose herself. "You don't have to go excuse father, I know that if my daughter got pregnant, I would have a hard time forgiving her as well. It's alright mother, I didn't expect him to just except this, I know he isn't like that."  
  
"Mel-Anna, there is more to it than you know." She caught herself and shook her head, "I promised your father years back that I would never tell you, so please, don't make me break my promise. I just want you to know that he doesn't hate you, he's just scared."  
  
"I know." She was silent, "Mommy?" She hadn't called her mommy since she was little. This didn't escape Relena.  
  
"Yes hunny?"  
  
"Can you tell me how you and daddy met? I just realized that you have never told me that."  
  
Relena sighed, she looked out the window, debating on what to say. She opened her mouth and closed it again, "I. I can't. Right after you were born we made a pact that we would never bring up the past to you." She shook her head, "No, I simply can't tell you."  
  
"Why?"  
  
She flinched; she didn't know how to answer the question. She smiled at Mel, trying to hide her feelings, "To tell you that would be telling you the past. You'll find out sooner or later okay? Just not now, and not from me, at least not yet. Alright?"  
  
Mel nodded, but she still didn't understand. Relena saw right though her futile attempt, "Look, I promise you that one of these days I will tell you, but first I have to run it by Heero. I know he won't be very found of the idea though, it's so painful for him."  
  
"You don't have to explain mother, I believe you."  
  
"Alright, well I better go see what Jeannine is making for dinner. I take it your not going to eat."  
  
Mel shook her head, the very thought of eating was sickening to her. Relena smiled and patted her leg, "Don't worry, things will get better."  
  
Mel wasn't sure if she was talking about her icy relationship with her father, or her sickness. Before she could ask Relena what she meant, she had to run to the bathroom, where she liter  
  
ally lost her lunch.  
  
I know that this chapter isn't very long, but I'm kinda stalling posting all of this since it's not finished ^.^;; Anyways, I'm having a hard time breaking this story up since so many of the scenes are so long. You'll just have to bare with me, the real story will start to unfold in a few more posts. I promise. 


	4. Lunchtime Rumors

Chapter four: Lunchtime rumors  
  
By Lolo Winner  
  
Disclaimer: nope, don't own Gundam Wing. I do own most of the characters in this scene though. Everyone but Heero, Relena, Hilde, and Duo. I wish I did. but I don't.  
  
  
  
Mel navigated herself though the lunchtime crowd to her usual table. The clique was already assembled at the table where they, the sophomore A group, sat. Mel was the undisputed Queen of the A group, she had reigned supreme over the much envious, and very selective, faction since the children naturally separated into their cliques way back in grade school. Her natural ability to rule was blamed for her sovereignty, as well as the fact that the most popular boy in school was her boyfriend. The later was only added a year and a half ago, and only added to Mel's prestige.  
  
She took a seat at her position at the head of the table. "Good afternoon girls." She said sweetly.  
  
Veronica, the second in command, smiled in return, "My, my Mel, aren't we hungry today?"  
  
Mel glanced down at her plate, piled high with foods that, a few months ago, she had absolutely no taste for, and until a few months ago, were excluded from the list of foods that were appropriate for the A group to eat. Before Mel could excuse herself Addy stepped in, "Oh Veronica, Mel can be considered an exception to those ludicrous rules."  
  
Veronica glanced at Addy for intruding in her territory, and back at Mel, "Speaking of which, it looks as if you are beginning to show."  
  
"You didn't expect me to keep my figure though all of this did you?" Mel asked with a hint of spite. She loathed Veronica; she thought she was a manipulator. The unspoken truth of Veronica's secret plot to take control from Mel, was very apparent in Mel's eyes.  
  
She perched in chin delicately in her woven fingers, resting her elbows on the table, "You must tell us all about how this came to be." She said.  
  
"Didn't you get the memo Vernie?" She purposely called Veronica by her hated nickname. "As you recall, and as everyone has been told, I was raped."  
  
"You can't expect us to believe that Mel-/Anna/, not after all the interesting variations to the tale, I for one, have overheard."  
  
"Oh believe me I would love to tell you all of the steamy details, but there are none to share. It wasn't exactly a steamy, or enjoyable, time."  
  
"I bet you had a very enjoyable time." She prodded.  
  
"You do have to admit that the circumstances are questionable." Joan said.  
  
"Yes, I'm sure you have heard the rumors." Added Sterrif, "I'm not saying there is any truth behind them, all though they are all very good stories."  
  
Mel had heard the rumors, and had cried over their claims every night since they started. She kept up face in front of her 'friends' however, "I can assure you that there is no truth behind them."  
  
"You know what my favorite rumor is?" Veronica would simply not let the subject drop, "My favorite rumor is the one about how you and that priceless little catch of yours got a little heavy under the covers, if you do catch my drift."  
  
That was the rumor that hurt Mel the most, not because of how untrue it was, but about the truth behind it. Still, she kept up the façade. She laughed, covering her mouth with her hand, "Where do you get this stuff Nica? Honestly, I can assure you that Clint had nothing to do with this."  
  
Veronica was beginning to get angry, she was determined to expose Mel and secure her position. "You can't expect us to believe that lie. It's been common knowledge for ever that you two are /extremely/ close."  
  
"Veronica, I believe you are overstepping your boundaries." Addy said.  
  
"Forgive me, I do not have the strength to take this abuse. I'm going to go sit with my boyfriend; whom, I can assure you is not the father, and seemingly the one person who is supportive, and not questioning the circumstances. So if you would excuse me." She stood with her lunch and waltzed over to the table which Clint's group occupied. She was greeted with a little kiss, as he insisted that he carried her lunch and her bag, as if the weight would kill her in her 'condition'.  
  
Veronica simply shook her head, "It's so sad when good girls like Mel go bad."  
  
"What exactly is that suppose to mean?" Sterrif asked. They all knew what Veronica meant, however.  
  
Veronica's eyes lit up, "You will never believe what I heard from Garba."  
  
"Honestly Veronica, you still listen to that little gossip?" Addy questioned.  
  
"Oh, this one is different, it's a very good, and credible, theory on our little Mel."  
  
"I hate-" Serrif was cut off on her rant on 'Garb the Gab,' (as she was rightfully called) by Joan.  
  
"Tell me, is it better than last week's scenario. You know, the one where Mel supposedly slept with old Mr. Peterson to raise her grade?"  
  
"Oh much better." Veronica leaned forward, accenting the secrecy of the fable. "You all remember Mel's father right, the absolutely hostile one."  
  
Addy waved her off, "You aren't suggesting what I think you are. Come now, that is even more ludicrous than your prostitution claim."  
  
"Believe me, this one has credit." The girls leaned forward, perching their chins in their hands in the very respectable listening posture. "Garba heard from Tiffany Flint, whom you all know lives very close to Mel, that she nightly hears sounds of a struggle between Mr. Yuy and Mel." Veronica continued to eat and jabber, as if she was talking about the weather, "Now as you recall, Mr. Yuy is an extremely. peculiar man."  
  
Joan and Serrif nodded, as Veronica continued. Addy could no longer resist the erg to listen to the new story. She too leaned forward in the same fashion, hanging on to every one of Veronica's words. "Now my father has told me many times the characteristics of a rapist. Sadly for Mel, her father seems to fit all of these traits."  
  
No one disputed her father's word. Her father, after all, was the foremost physiatrist in the colony. All four of his books had made it to the top of the bestseller list, and every respectable party wanted him as a guest. So they all continued to listen to Veronica's chronicle, and all the 'proof' she had behind it. ".And poor Mrs. Yuy." Veronica shook her head in mock pity, "You all know how damaging a controversy at this scale would be to her career. She has no choice but to sit back, and go along with the little rape claim."  
  
Clint saw how Mel was staring vacantly at her little nitch off in the distance. Her piece of Hawaiian pizza cooled as it was held up in the air, half way to her mouth. Mel knew that he was watching her, and decided to save the questioning, "I know they are talking about me." She said.  
  
"How do you know that?"  
  
Mel continued to stare. The girls occasionally stole glances over her way, "I just do."  
  
He pulled her close to him, "Don't let those little bitches get to you."  
  
She looked at him defensively, "Those bitches happen to be my friends."  
  
"You mean the girls who, at this very moment, are stabbing your back?"  
  
She looked down at her pizza, "Yes, those girls." She took a bite out of the slice.  
  
  
  
Heero watched with wide eyes as Mel scarfed down her dinner. His fork was in mid air in front of his mouth. The food on it had already cooled, he didn't care though, he was fixated on the vigor Mel had as she attacked her dinner. Relena smiled, "It's good to see that you have your appetite back."  
  
Mel nodded. He swallowed the food in her mouth, "Tell Jeannine that this is absolutely wonderful." She dove back into her dinner. Heero finally snapped out of it and took his first bite of the portabella ravioli.  
  
Mel downed her milk. She dabbed the damask napkin to her face and looked at Relena, "I'm starting to think about names, do you have any suggestions?"  
  
Relena's eyes lit up. She nodded, "Sean." She said.  
  
Heero glared at her. Mel didn't notice her father's menacing look, "Oh I love that name. Sean Maxwell, I like the sound of that."  
  
"No, I won't allow that name to be used."  
  
"Heero, stop it."  
  
"That name will not be used." Heero said again. He stood from the table and left.  
  
Mel looked at her mother with a questioning look. Relena sighed, "I think it's time for me to tell you how we met." She said, looking at her plate. She stood and left the room. Mel, unsure of what to do, decided to follow her mother.  
  
Relena led Mel into the library. Mel sat on the couch and watched as her mother scanned the shelves of the books. Mel tried to draw her knees up to her chest, but found it uncomfortable with her child, who was now four months along, straining to find room for growth. She sat upright instead, resting her arms on her belly as she continued to watch Relena.  
  
Relena stopped at one row. Instead of selecting one of the Bradbury's she reached behind the old leather-bound hardbacks, and took something out from behind. She sat down next to Mel with the old photo album.  
  
She wiped the thick layer of dust, a testament to its years of neglection, off the cover and began. "Like I told you, your father and I promised each other when you were born that we would never show you this. I did ask him if I could, he refused though." She looked up at Mel, "Think you can keep a secret?" She winked.  
  
Mel nodded; Relena opened the album to the first page. Mel's eyes it up at the pictures of Relena in her royal dressings from the Sank Kingdom. "Oh wow, look at those outfits." She pointed to one of Relena and Noin, "Is that you and aunt Noin?" She asked.  
  
Relena nodded. Mel looked at the next page. A panoramic view of a city resting next to the ocean, and nestled beneath lush green mountains caught her attention. "Where is this mother."  
  
"That's Newport City, the capital of the Sank Kingdom."  
  
Mel broke her eyes away from the pictures, and looked at her mother, "The Sank Kingdom?"  
  
"It's not in existence anymore. After I stepped down from the throne there was no one to take over the monarchy."  
  
"Whoa wait, you expect me to believe that you once ruled a country?"  
  
Relena didn't answer. She only turned the page. On that page was an invitation to a ball, held during the Kingdom's short-lived days of glory. It was a beautiful hand written invitation on custom-made parchment. Mel read the flowing words out loud, "Miss. Lucratzia Noin has been invited to attend the coronation ball for Princess Relena Peacecraft." Mel remembered how many people called her mother by that last name. She mouthed the remaining words, except when it came to the date. "Saturday, the eleventh of June, year One-hundred Ninety Five. 195, so you were."  
  
"Fifteen years old."  
  
She looked back up at Relena, "Why didn't you ever tell me that you are a princess?"  
  
"Well so are you. If you were alive when I gave the land to Denmark, I would of kept it to give to you."  
  
"You mean that I would have been the heir to a kingdom?"  
  
Relena nodded. Mel was dumbfounded. "Wait, there's more."  
  
"More?" Mel studdered.  
  
"Oh much more. You ready to see what else I ruled?" Relena turned forward a few pages. Mel nearly fainted at the headline that jumped off of the yellowing newspaper clipping. "Relena Peacecraft Takes Throne to Earth's Sphere."  
  
Mel almost laughed, "Please don't tell me that I was the heir for the world as well."  
  
Relena shrugged, "I suppose you would have been if I had been in control for longer than a month."  
  
"They kick you out for not being good enough or something?"  
  
She ignored the question and stared at the picture of herself in her white satin gown. Mel answered her own question by reading the other newspaper clip on that page, "Former Sovereign Dismisses Queen Relena." She began to read about how Terize Kushranada, a name she remembered her parents using on a few occasions, retook control from her mother.  
  
"Treize wasn't really a bad man. He just wanted to obtain peace using other means."  
  
"Father doesn't agree with that."  
  
"Well your father was Treize's enemy."  
  
"Enemy?"  
  
"I'm getting a head of myself." She started flipping though the album, "Let's see. ah, here we go." She stopped halfway though the album. There were a few pictures of Heero clad in his shorts and tank.  
  
Mel started laughing, "What on earth is he wearing? Tell me that wasn't the style."  
  
Relena laughed, "No, that was his own statement."  
  
  
  
Heero stood in the garage, staring at the car. He thought about what he had done, and what Relena had asked a month back. //"Please Heero, she should know."  
  
"No, I don't want her to."  
  
"Then stop being so cold towards her, she thinks that you hate her."//  
  
He sighed, "But. I don't hate her." He said out loud, reciting from the conversation.  
  
//"Then let her know that."  
  
"But I don't want her to know, no, she can't know."//  
  
"I don't hate her." He said again, quietly to himself. He decided that it was time, that he should explain himself to his daughter. He let the wrench that he had grabbed in preparation of working on the car slip from his hands. He turned as the wrench hit the ground.  
  
He went back to the kitchen, trying to think of what he would say. /"Mel- Anna, first off I'm sorry, but there is something you should know about me." No, that doesn't work, "Mel-Anna, please forgive me, it's just-" No, no I'm not going to make excuses./ He stopped, /"Mel-Anna, I'm a cold hearted killer."/ He looked up at the table; no one was there. He heard laughter from the library and headed over there.  
  
He began to open the door, but stopped when he heard the conversation. He heard Mel laugh, "What on earth is he wearing? Tell me that wasn't the style." He started sanarios of who she could be talking about, and realized that it could only be about him. He shuddered in remembrance of that outfit. Clothes were scarce where he grew up; it wasn't his fault that that was all that was available to him.  
  
"No, that was his own statement." He heard Relena say. He stepped away from the door. She was already telling her, he didn't care, it would come out better from her mouth anyways. He backed away from the door and leaned up against the wall adjacent to it. He listened in as his past was slowly revealed.  
  
  
  
"Statement of what?" Mel stopped laughed, "'Shooting star maybe enemy weapon,' 'Gundam 01 destroys Liberia base.' Why is this on this page?" She turned the page and read more of the headlines, "'OZ carrier destroyed by enemy weapon,' 'Rebel mobile self detonates.' 'Gundam 01's destruction confirmed,' 'Death toll at Moscow tops 700,'"  
  
Relena watched as he daughter continued to read the headlines, "'Gundam defeats Luxemburg,' 'Unidentified Gundam defends Sank Kingdom,' 'Zero spotted on Earth,'" She turned the page, where there were even more articles, "'3,000 die at hands of Gundam over Tokyo Bay,' 'OZ no closer to stopping Gundams,'" She stopped and shakily read the last headline, "'Gundam pilot Heero Yuy saves earth.'" She looked at her mother for an explanation.  
  
"Operation Meteor was what it was called. That was when the five mobile suits known as Gundams came to earth to free the colonies from oppression. Although seen as the enemy, the pilots were doing the right thing. They risked their lives many a time for the peace of the colonies. Your father was one of those pilots."  
  
"Your joking right? We learned that the Gundams were pilots by mere children with nearly super-human abilities."  
  
Relena calmly turned the page. There was a picture of Heero and Relena in front of 01, another of them in front of the badly damaged Zero after the Mariemea Rebellion, and a third candid shot taken of Heero leaning over into the cockpit of Epyon, fixing something. He turned around, just in time for the camera to catch his stunned face.  
  
Mel couldn't find her voice as she stared at the younger version of her parents in front of the giant machines. Relena continued with her story, "We were both only fifteen when we met. I was heir to the throne of a pacifist nation, and your father was sent to start a war. I first met him unconscious on a beach, after he had first come to the planet. He acted so strange, trying to make sure I didn't see who he was. After that he began to go to my school, where he threatened to kill me quite a few times."  
  
"He tried to kill you? But he didn't, I mean, he didn't kill anyone did he?"  
  
Relena started to close the book, "Perhaps I shouldn't continue. I should of known this was a bad idea."  
  
Mel put her hand on Relena, stopping her form closing the album, "Please continue, I want to know."  
  
She sighed, "Mel-Anna, your father is a trained assassin."  
  
Mel gasped, "An assassin?"  
  
"He was trained form a very young- and I do mean very young, he said that they began to mold him when he was only three- molded to be a killing machine."  
  
"You didn't answer me, he didn't kill anyone did he?"  
  
Relena recited some of the headlines a few pages back, "'Death toll at Moscow tops 700,' '3,000 die at hands of Gundam over Tokyo Bay,'" She continued with some not in the book, "'Pacifist Noventa assassinated by Gundam,' '15,000 dead at Luxemburg,' 'Only two survive Gundam attack.'"  
  
"Mother, stop it."  
  
She couldn't stop though, "'900 civilians die when neighboring base was attacked,'" Tears sprouted from her eyes from the painful memories, "'Over 5,000 estimated dead at New Edwards,' 'War death toll calculated at over 500,000.'"  
  
Mel shook her head, "No, father couldn't. he isn't."  
  
"Now you see why your father didn't want you to know."  
  
"You forgot a few." Relena jumped, she looked at the door where Heero stood, unable to stay out of the conversation any more. "'Village parishes during battle,' '7,527 die in Gobi,' among thousands of other such incidents."  
  
"Heero I."  
  
"It's okay, I should have told her that years ago." he stayed in toe doorway. He looked at Mel, who looked like she was about to die of fright, "I want you to understand that I didn't kill one of those people because I wanted to."  
  
Mel nodded, not trusting her voice in the eyes of whom she now saw as a killer. "Look Mel-Anna, I'm. I'm really sorry about how I've been treating you. I. I just." He looked to Relena for help.  
  
"Heero-"  
  
Heero nodded.  
  
"Are you sure?'  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Relena took a deep breath, and faced Mel. "Mel-Anna when your father and I were still dating. We um. well we had the same dilemma."  
  
"Your not saying."  
  
"Truthfully, it was the reason we got married in the first place." She said.  
  
"Wh-what happened?"  
  
Relena sighed sadly, "I had a miscarriage before anyone but your father knew."  
  
"Mel-Anna, I'm sorry I was so angry towards you, I just couldn't bare to see what almost happened to us happen to you. I had no right to though."  
  
"Is that why you objected to that name? Because you were going to name him that?"  
  
Heero was quiet for a few moments, Relena decided to let him answer though. "Yeah." He finally said.  
  
"That's no reason." Mel said.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"That's no reason to not let me use that name." She looked up at Heero with anger in her eyes, "Why didn't you tell me? Why did you let me think that you hated me? Did you not think I would understand? Trust me father, I understand." She touched her stomach, "God knows I understand."  
  
"I know, it's just. I just." Heero couldn't continue anymore. He looked down at the floor, "No, you don't understand. Relena, tell her that she can't understand."  
  
"I'm not going to say what you have to say Heero."  
  
He looked at Relena; his face was strangely void of feelings. "I." He trailed off. He couldn't bring himself to say what was on his mind. He turned and left the library.  
  
Mel looked at Relena for explanation. Relena simply shook her head, "It's not my place." She said. 


	5. Goodbyes

Chapter five: Goodbyes  
  
By: Lolo Winner  
  
Disclaimer: I just checked over all of the stuff I owned and do you know what? Heero, Relena, Duo and Hilde aren't there. Too my delight though I did find Mel-Anna, Clint and Sky.  
  
I know it took me a while to get this one up. Sorry, it sort of sucks- it's an in between stage, plus I tried to cram a lot of information into it. I promise you that the next chapter will be better, I'll post that soon.  
  
That conversation took place on Saturday. On Sunday, Heero still refused to say anything further on the subject. Mel felt like she knew her father better, however, and didn't push it. She knew that he would tell her when he did, and that she couldn't force the painful words from his lips. Monday, at school, she was still preoccupied with her thoughts though.  
  
/So that is how father knows Mr. Maxwell then! Yes! That had to be him in that one picture. So that means, that he too is one of those pilots. So then Clint…/  
  
She slammed her locker closed and jumped. She tried to catch her breath as she looked down at the person who was concealed by her open locker. "Oh, Sky!" She exclaimed, laughing at herself for being frightened.  
  
"Hey there Mel. I uh… look, there is something I think you should know." Mel nodded, prompting her to continue. Sky took a quick look around; to make sure no one saw her speaking with her. "You know Veronica Paliano right?" Mel nodded. "Well, she tried to bribe me to spill on the truth about… well, you know."  
  
Mel shook her head, her eyes filling up with tears, "She didn't."  
  
"Hell she did! She got all the way up to 2,000 before I convinced her other wise."  
  
"So you didn't tell her?"  
  
"I wouldn't do that to you Mel. I wouldn't sell you out to a bitch like her. She would have to get up to 3,000 before I did that." She winked so that Mel would catch that it was a joke. Mel didn't seem amused by it though, "Mel, I know this is going to be brutal, but I think that she's trying to kick you out."  
  
"I know." Mel muttered.  
  
"Hey, if anything happens, you've always got me okay?"  
  
Mel nodded, "Thanks Sky, that means a lot to me."  
  
"Don't mention it. You covered for me when I got caught stealing from that store. I still haven't repaid you for that." She looked at her watch, "Shit I'm late for bio, I better be off."  
  
Mel nodded, "I should be on my way too."  
  
"Bye Mel!" Sky started off. She glanced back to see that Mel's shield of strength was breaking. She turned back, "Mel, if you ever need anything, I mean /anything/ I'm there for you."  
  
"Thanks again Sky."  
  
She decided it was time to move on from the friends she had had since childhood, the friends who had betrayed her. She did so quietly, slipping away at lunch, not calling after school. Soon she had settled into a new group. It wasn't surprising that Sky Maxwell was a member of that group.  
  
Mel had nowhere else to go. With her reputation shot, she was the main subject of gossip, and people didn't want to socialize with her. She felt uncomfortable sitting with Clint and the group of senior guys he hung with. They were uncomfortable with her there as well. So she decided to take Sky up on her offer, and became a regular fixture in the drama group.  
  
"Hey Mel! Wait up!"  
  
Mel turned to see Sky running up to her, "Hi there." She had been hanging out with Clint's little sister and her friends for a few weeks now.  
  
Sky caught up, she walked next to Mel on the way to the math wing. "My bro's being kinda weird right now."  
  
"I noticed."  
  
"I don't know what's up with him. He won't tell me a damn thing, maybe you could squeeze it out."  
  
"You seem rather interested in his well being."  
  
"It's driving me crazy! I'm gunna kill something if I don't find out what's up."  
  
Mel hated the word kill ever since she discovered that it was her father's specialty. She didn't show her resentment for the word to Sky, however, and continued with the conversation, "We're going to dinner tomorrow night, I'll bring it up then alright?"  
  
"You better, other wise I might have to beat it out of him." She pounded her fist into her palm.  
  
Mel laughed, again, trying not to show her revulsion with the violence she suggested. "Okay, okay, I'll ask."  
  
"Cool, see ya at lunch?"  
  
"You bet."  
  
"Alright I gotta jet, I'm suppose to be all the way across campus in two minutes."  
  
"Good luck!"  
  
"Don't worry about me, I'll be there in one!" Sky called as she ran though the crowd of students.  
  
"Bye Sky!" She smiled at the sight of the girl dodge the crowd expertly as her long brown hair slapped against her back.  
  
/Did her father look like that when he was fighting? As he was infiltrating bases, or running from enemy fire, or what not?/ She had been asking a lot of questions like that lately.  
  
  
  
Clint stared at his plate, playing with the tomato in his salad. "Babe, what's eating you?" Mel asked.  
  
He looked up from his entree, "Huh?"  
  
"You've been so passive lately, what are you thinking about?"  
  
He returned to taunting the cherry tomato, watching it escape the prongs of his fork, "I got a letter."  
  
"Where from?"  
  
"Stanford." He looked up, "They excepted me."  
  
"Oh Clint that's great! Why on earth are you so upset? Stanford is your first choice."  
  
"Because I'm going to Weston."  
  
"That townie trap? Why would you want to go to that hell hole?"  
  
"'Cuz I don't want to go Earth-side for school."  
  
She looked away solemnly, "Because of me you mean."  
  
"Well yeah. I don't want to be a million miles away when the baby's born."  
  
"At the risk of your future?"  
  
"I can learn to be a journalist anywhere, and Weston's only one town over."  
  
"No, I won't let you do this."  
  
"This is what I want."  
  
Their eyes met, "Then why are you so sad?" Clint was silent. "I know that going to Stanford is your dream, and I'm not going to be the one to destroy that."  
  
"But-"  
  
"No buts. I'll be all right. I have my mom. Besides, you still have a few months."  
  
"Mel." He said, defeated.  
  
"Stop with that depressing tone. Come on, let's celebrate your acceptance hum?"  
  
  
  
The months pasted quickly. Soon it was August, and time for Clint to get on his way. It was more emotional that Mel had expected, as they said their final goodbyes at the spaceport. The usual roles were switched, as Mel offered the support.  
  
"I can wait one more week, I don't have to go right away."  
  
Mel shook her head, "You've put off leaving long enough. It's okay, you'll be home at Thanksgiving, and that's when the baby's due. If we're lucky, you won't miss it."  
  
"Yeah, well what if I'm not?"  
  
"If not, then I've got my parents, I won't be alone."  
  
"I hate to leave you like this." He put his hand on her swollen belly.  
  
She put her hand over his, "I hate it too, but it's for the best."  
  
"Last boarding call for Earth Lines flight 507 to San Francisco California."  
  
Mel looked up at the speaker, "That's you."  
  
"Yeah… I'll call you every day."  
  
"I'll wait for your call every day, now get going, your dad will flip if you miss this one."  
  
He took his hand, which was over hers, and entwined their fingers. He brought up their hands and kissed hers. He leaned over and kissed her abdomen and straightened. Brushing the stray strand of hair from in front of her face he leaned in one more time for one last kiss. He pulled back slowly, not wanting the moment to end.  
  
"Go." She whispered.  
  
He nodded. Picked up his bags he ran towards his gate. "I'll see you tonight." He said after he handed the ticket to the attendant.  
  
TBC 


	6. And a Happy New Year

And a Happy New Year  
  
By Lolo Winner  
  
Disclaimer: hum let's see. Sky- check, Clint- check, Heero- nope, Ashton- check, Relena- nope, Mel-Anna- check, Gundam Wing it's self- nope. So far Sunrise is winning in the race to own all of the characters.  
  
"Mommy! Mommy!" Mel turned around to see the little boy waddle up to her. She was choked with emotion; she was when ever he called her mommy. She scooped him up in her arms.  
  
"I'm not your mommy silly, I'm your sister." She said.  
  
The little boy shook his head, "Mommy." He gave her a hug.  
  
She laughed, trying to push her emotions aside. "You are so silly." She told him. She loved it when Ashton called her mommy, she truly did. She wished she could call him son back, but she couldn't. To him she was just his older sister. "You ready to see Clint today?" She asked him.  
  
He shook his head vigorously. "Yesh."  
  
"All right, lets get your coat, it's cold out today."  
  
They came down stairs a few minutes later. Mel was holding Ashton's hand, helping him down the steps. He moved awkwardly in the heavy winter coat. Her parents were putting the tree up in the entryway. Her mother was standing back, instructing her father on how to position the mammoth pine. When they hit the foyer he broke into a run for Heero. "Daddy! Daddy!" He called.  
  
Heero stood up, leaving his duties of straightening the tree for a second. He swept the toddler off the floor; he threw him up and caught him. Mel smiled at the sight, with Ashton around her father was like a kid again. She had never seen him happier than when he was with his grandson. "What are you all dressed up for?" He asked.  
  
"I'm taking Ashy to the park."  
  
"Heero the tree!" Relena yelled.  
  
Heero set Ashton down and ran to the tree, just in time to catch it from falling. He looked back over at Mel-Anna, "You will be home in time to decorate the tree right?"  
  
"We should be."  
  
"Alright, well have fun."  
  
"Come here little guy, your shirt is all messed up." Relena knelt as the toddler waddled over to her. She started to re-tuck the petite turtleneck. She looked up at Mel, "Is Clint home for the holidays?" She asked.  
  
Mel nodded, "We are meeting him at the park."  
  
"Well tell him we say hi." She said with a smile. She looked back over to Heero. "No, no it's still all crooked. Here, let me help." She went over and helped him wrestle the large Douglas fir into place.  
  
"Cint! Cint!" Ashton squirmed in his mother's arms at the sight of his father. Mel set him down and watched him run over to Clint.  
  
Clint scooped him up. "How's my superman?" He asked.  
  
"Fly!" Ashton exclaimed with his limited vocabulary.  
  
"Alright hold on." Clint lifted him high above his head and spun him around.  
  
"Clint! Be careful!"  
  
Clint stopped spinning and looked over to Mel. He set Ashton down, "Go play superman, your sis and I want to talk."  
  
"O-tay." Ashton ran off into the sandbox. He plopped down next to one of his friends from their usual trips to the park, and helped the little girl build her mound of sand.  
  
Clint went over to Mel. "Hey gorgeous." He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her. She hugged and kissed him back.  
  
"I've missed you." She said. They held hands and walked over to the bench, where they sat and watched Ashton as he stuck sticks into the top of their sand mound.  
  
"He's gotten big." He said.  
  
"Yes he has, and looking more and more like you every day."  
  
"Yeah, that too."  
  
She looked over to him, "Well, not so much any more." She said, referring to how much he had changed since his year and a half in California. His skin was much tanner and his hair was no longer the lime green it had been when he was a junior, or it's natural dark brunette he had allowed it to go back to when he was a senior. It was cut short and spiked, bleached a bright white blonde.  
  
He ran his hand though the stiff spikes, "Yeah, we've all changed. Even you."  
  
"I have huh?" She asked.  
  
"Yeah," He flipped his finger though her shoulder length hair with it's blond streaks, "Cut and dyed and just the way I like it."  
  
She laughed. Clint could tell it was forced, "What's wrong?" He asked.  
  
"Why do you think something's wrong?"  
  
"You can't fool me Mel so lets not go though the motions of me prodding and you holding back and just tell me."  
  
She couldn't help but smile, one with a hint of sadness. "I received a letter of expectance." She said.  
  
"From Stanford?"  
  
She shook her head, "From Oxford."  
  
"What ever happened to the plan? You know, you meet up with me at Stanford? The one where we live happily ever after?"  
  
"Four generations of Dorlains have gone to Oxford, that is where I want to go."  
  
"But it's half way around the world."  
  
"Which is one of its most appealing qualities."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Clint, this isn't working. I know it you know it. We can't continue to pretend like this is happily ever after."  
  
"Well that was one of the reasons for us going to the same collage remember?"  
  
"I don't want to anymore." She looked away from his gaze.  
  
"What's that suppose to mean? I love you, you love me, it makes sense for us to be together."  
  
Their eyes latched again, "I don't trust myself around you." They looked at each other in silence, not knowing what to say. Clint was dumbfounded; he hadn't expected anything like this. Finally, Mel looked away and continued. "I want to keep in touch though, I want you to know Ashton. One day he's going to learn the truth, and when he does I don't want you to be merely a figment of his imagination."  
  
"Is there any way at all I could change your mind? Maybe I could transfer to Oxford, and finish up school there. Or, maybe in two years when I'm done there I can move to England to be with you."  
  
"Then what Clint? Then we ask my parents to hand over Ashton and raise him like he is our own?"  
  
"But he is our own."  
  
"No, he's just my baby brother, and you're just my ex-boyfriend." They were quiet again, having so much they each wanted to say, but finding it impossible to find the words.  
  
Ashton ran over to them. "Dat." He said, pointing to the swing set.  
  
"You want to swing?" Mel asked.  
  
"Yesh."  
  
"Alright superman, let's go swing." Clint stood and walked back over to the swings with Ashton. "Can you say swing?" He asked as they walked across the sand.  
  
"Sing!"  
  
Clint laughed, "There you go buddy."  
  
Mel watched silently as the father of her child pushed him on the swings. She tried to hold the tears back, but a few escaped and etched their trails down her cheeks.  
  
  
  
Mel and Ashton returned an hour later. The tree was now up, strait and centered, her parents and the two maids were already decorating it. Mel smiled, "I thought you were going to wait for us."  
  
"There's plenty more to do." Her mother replied.  
  
"Twee! Twee!" Ashton pointed at the Christmas tree.  
  
"Yes, it's a Christmas tree, want to help make it pretty?" Ashton nodded. Mel took off his coat and let him stumble over to the tree. Sylvia, one of the maids, handed him a glass ball and showed him how to hang it on the branch. Mel saw no need in bothering Sylvia or Margaret in their fun, and hung the coats up herself.  
  
She loved this time of year. The house smelt of cinnamon from the candles and pine tree. The fire in the gigantic fireplace warmed the air. Cheery Christmas carols filled the air as they came from the stereo. The maids and Relena sang along. Aston tried to follow in suit; making up the words as he went. Heero didn't sing as he silently hung the burgundy and deep blue painted orbs on the tree.  
  
With the coats hung, Mel walked to the tree. She slapped the mail she was caring on the table and went to help decorate. She drew a silver angel from one of the boxes and hung it on a naked branch. She picked up o the singing as the next carol started.  
  
"Hark the herald angels sing, glory to the new born king. Peace on Earth and mercy mild. God and sinners reconcile."  
  
A stray tear rolled down Mel's cheek a few carols later. Her mother caught it. "Honey, are you alright?"  
  
"Yeah, I just have a little something in my eye." She rubbed her eye. Relena didn't believe her, but she didn't want to force the truth in front of everyone. She let it go and turned back to the boxes or ornaments to find them empty. "Well that was quick, all that's left is the angel."  
  
"Mine!" Ashton demanded as he held his arms out to Relena.  
  
"All right." Relena took the delicate glass angel out of the box and handed it to Ashton. "Be very careful with that."  
  
"O-tay."  
  
"Ready?" Heero asked.  
  
"Yesh." Heero lifted him up, high into the air. With both of his stubby little hands, Ashton placed the angel carefully on top of the tree. Everyone clapped as Heero lowered him back to the floor. Ashton was beaming with pride. He ran to Relena and pulled her to the tree, "Wook mommy!" He pointed at where he had placed his ornaments. They were all clumped together with no rhyme or reason, but Ashton didn't understand that.  
  
"Yes, you did an excellent job." She said.  
  
Mel decided to speak up before she forgot, "Oh yeah, I went a head and brought in the mail mother. I set it down on the table."  
  
"Anything that looked important?" She asked, not looking up as Ashton pointed out every ornament he had hung. Heero and the maids began to clean up. Heero placed the lids on one of the empty boxes and picked it up.  
  
"Well there was one thing." Mel went to help pack up the empty ornament cartridges into the boxes, "It's probably just a Christmas card, but the address was hand written in calligraphy, and you will never guess who sent it; the satellite tycoon himself Quatre Winner!"  
  
Heero dropped the box at the name. Relena stopped looking at Ashton's accomplishment. They both stared at Mel. Mel was a little frightened by their reaction. "What's wrong?"  
  
Relena nearly ran to the stack of mail. She dug out the envelope with its gold calligraphy writing. She tore open the envelope and quickly read the card. She looked up with a plaster smile on her face, "Who wants some hot chocolate?" She asked.  
  
"Me!" Ashton said as he jumped up and down.  
  
"Good, Heero, come help me make the coco."  
  
He nodded, not asking why she didn't just have Justine do it, and followed her into the kitchen.  
  
"It's an invitation," She said as she stirred the milk. "For the twenty- five year anniversary."  
  
Herro looked up from taking the mugs from the cupboard, "has it really been that long?"  
  
"On Christmas."  
  
"Is that when the reunion is?"  
  
"No, it's on New Years. We're all invited."  
  
"So do you want to go?" He set the mugs down next to the stove.  
  
"Oh course I want to go. It's just…"  
  
"It's just what?"  
  
"What are we going to do about Ashton?"  
  
"Isn't he invited?"  
  
"Well, yes, but what I mean is, what are we going to say?"  
  
"What we always say: that's he's our son."  
  
"What if they find out about Clint and Mel? He's going to go most likely, and Ashy is just flowing with Duo's looks."  
  
"I don't know about that, he has your eyes."  
  
"No, he has Mel-Anna's eyes."  
  
"Who has your eyes."  
  
"They aren't idiots. They will see Mel-Anna and Clint next to Ashton and quickly conclude what happened. Milk's ready."  
  
"And we'll stick to the story." He handed the coco mix to Relena, "What are they going to do? Dispute us?"  
  
"Are you sure that will work?"  
  
He shrugged, "It has to."  
  
  
  
The Yuy's showed up at the reunion a few minutes late, thanks to the fact that Ashton was teething, and the orajel couldn't be found anywhere. As the younger offspring of their fellow pilots and friends ran around the house, the adults were in the parlor of the large house, catching up on old times.  
  
Duo and Hilde were already there. Clint sat by their side, listening attentively to his father's friends and their stories. Sky was off talking with Quatre's thirteen-year-old daughter Annette.  
  
Wu Fei was there as well. He and Sally had been engaged years back, he broke it off however, they all knew why, but no one ever said it out loud. Sally and him still worked together, and were good friends, so she came with him to the reunion.  
  
Quatre and his wife Monique finished up the little circle. They married about seventeen years back. All the little blond children running around were obviously theirs. Heero counted; there were five in total, four girls, and one boy.  
  
Heero held Ashton in his arms. As they headed over for the group he started having second thoughts. They all were, yet no one bothered to make this known. When they got into view of Duo, the only one who was in the right position to see them coming, stood and waved, "Hey Heero!" He called out. Everyone stood and turned around to greet them.  
  
They all stood around the Yuy's, talking about Mel and little Ashton. "Oh Relena he's absolutely beautiful." Sally said, holing his little hand.  
  
"He's got your eyes Relena." Quatre commented.  
  
"And Mel-Anna, I haven't seen you since you were just a baby. You probably don't even remember me. I'm Monique Winner, Quatre's wife. Oh, what a beautiful young woman you have become."  
  
Mel blushed, "Thank you Mrs. Winner." Mel and Clint's eyes locked for a second, she broke the gaze. She hadn't expected to see him there, she didn't know why she hadn't.  
  
Despite the attention, Ashton was getting fidgety in Heero's arms. He had been forced to sit all day long, first in the car, and now in his arms. He desperately wanted to get down and run around. Mel could also tell that his mouth was bugging him, as he started to gnaw at his fist.  
  
"Of Father, let me take Ashy, he wants to go play." Heero handed him over. He caught Wu Fei's look. He brushed it off. Mel looked at the group, feeling like she had to excuse herself, "Sorry to take him away for you, but he's teething." Everyone seemed to understand, and didn't ask any questions.  
  
Mel started to walk away with the child and his dipper bag. Clint silently excused himself from the circle and followed the two over to the makeshift nursery set up in the other room.  
  
The butler came in seconds later with a tray filled with glasses of champagne. Everyone took a glass, and the conversation continued. No one even bothered to sit back down. Heero noticed how Wu Fei was still eyeing Clint and Mel as they spoke and played with Ashton. Again, he brushed it off. He also noticed how agitated Mel was around Clint.  
  
Only a few minutes later Trowa arrived with his wife of eight years Natasha. She had joined the circus as the replacement knife thrower when his sister Catharine went on Maternity leave with her and her husbands first-born. They married a few years later, and now do the trapeze act at the circus. "Sorry we're late." Trowa said, "Katie got a little sick on the way." He handed the toddler, who was about a year older than Ashton, to one of the servants. She was automatically taken over to were the other kids were.  
  
There was another little one hiding behind Trowa's long legs. Relena bent down, "And who might this be?" She asked, trying to coax the little boy away from his protection.  
  
"Zach, come out and say hello to everyone." His mother said.  
  
Zach didn't come out, but he did mumble a hello. The adults smiled, "Oh aren't we the little shy one?" Relena asked.  
  
Trowa stepped out of the way, exposing the five year old to everyone. The resemblance to his father was uncanny, right down to the jelled bangs. Zach automatically ran over to his father. Instead of finding sanctuary, however, he was scooped up for all to see. "Sorry, he's really shy." Trowa said as Zach buried himself into his father's sweater.  
  
Relena smiled, "Oh, that's okay."  
  
"Zach, want to go play with cousin Rashid?" Trowa said, speaking of Quatre's six-year-old son. Zach nodded. Trowa put him down, and Zach ran over to the other room, where the blond little boy was stacking blocks.  
  
Trowa straightened up, "So what did we miss?" He asked.  
  
"Oh, nothing much. Duo's son knocked up Heero's daughter." Wu Fei said, as if he was talking about the weather.  
  
Quatre, who had just taken a sip from his champagne, choked at the sudden comment, and spit his champagne everywhere. Monique patted him on his back as he coughed.  
  
Heero glared at Wu Fei. "Oh come on, look at them!" Wu Fei said, pointed to the three in the other room. Everyone looked. Relena could tell that they were all comparing Clint to Ashton, and that their ruse was no good around their friends.  
  
"Did it ever accrue to you that we might have just waited a while before having Ashton?" Heero asked.  
  
"Yeah, like what? Seventeen years?"  
  
"It's no use Heero, they know."  
  
"Relena." Heero said between his teeth, in a questioning sing-song vice.  
  
"So then it's true then? About Clint and Mel?" Quatre asked.  
  
Heero and Relena exchanged looks with Duo and Hilde. Duo sighed, "Yeah." He mumbled. 


	7. Secrets

Secrets  
  
By Lolo Winner  
  
Disclaimer: I didn't own them when I started and I sure as hell don't own them now. Oh yeah, I do own all of the made up charas though.  
  
  
  
Mel ignored Clint, and the looks they were getting from her parents' friends, and continued to change Ashton as if nothing was going on. "Mel, you have to at least talk to me." He said, "Didn't you get the flowers I sent? And the letters? You won't return my calls and they won't let me in when I come. You can't ignore me forever."  
  
"I want to be alone for a while." She buttoned up Ashton's pants.  
  
"What ever happened to me being around for Ashton?"  
  
She turned to him with an annoyed look on her face, "Didn't you hear me? I said that I want to be alone for a while."  
  
"Yeah? For how long? A few months? A few years?"  
  
"Clint just go."  
  
"No, I want an answer. You didn't give me one when you broke up with me, and I still want one."  
  
"I gave you an answer. I don't trust myself around you."  
  
"Mel…"  
  
"Clint, please, just go."  
  
"Ashton, do you want Clint to go?" He asked, ignoring Mel.  
  
"Don't." Mel said.  
  
"No, I want to know. Ashton, do you want Clint to go?" He asked again.  
  
Ashton looked to Mel and then back to Clint, "Cint!" He said.  
  
"There you go. Now here, lets see if you can get my name right. Can you say daddy?"  
  
Mel's eyes went wide, "Clint stop it!"  
  
"You said that he was going to learn sooner or later, well come on, let's start teaching him now. Say it big boy: daddy."  
  
"Come on Ashton." Mel scooped him up and started to walk away from Clint.  
  
"Mel I was-"  
  
She turned around and faced him; hugging Ashton close to her, "Leave us alone! I'll tell you when you can come back."  
  
Everyone saw Mel and Clint's little fight. The fact that she yelled 'leave us alone' didn't help much either. Relena ran after Mel as she took flight up stairs. Duo tried, and failed, to stop Heero. Everyone looked on, absolutely dumbfounded, as Heero stormed Clint. He punched Clint in the face, "Leave her alone!" He yelled.  
  
Duo grabbed Heero's hands and tried to hold him back, "Come on Heero, not this old game again."  
  
Clint wasn't afraid of Heero, even though he should have been, "I just wanted an answer Mr. Yuy."  
  
"Clint drop it, and run damn it!" Duo yelled. He was loosing the battle with Heero.  
  
"No dad, I'm not afraid of him. What are you going to do to me? Oh not so high and mighty with out your gun now are we?"  
  
Hilde ran over to Clint, trying to hold him back. Trowa and Wu Fei took on trying to help Duo hold Heero back, as Quatre assisted Hilde. "I don't know what's going on, but you two have to stop this." Quatre said.  
  
"Not so high and mighty with out my gun? Hump, shall we see."  
  
"Good God Heero, don't even joke!" Hilde said.  
  
"You're father's right, you better not push Heero." Trowa said.  
  
"What's he going to do? Pull that Perfect Soldier stuff my dad's always talking about?  
  
Relena came back downstairs, "Heero!" She cried out over the chaos. Heero didn't seem to hear her as he still wrestled against Trowa, Wu Fei, and Duo. "Heero stop it!" She said even louder. Heero stopped immediately and the whole room grew quiet. He looked over at Relena. "Come here." She said. He jerked himself out of the grasps of his friends and walked over to where she was at the base of the stairs.  
  
Hilde stepped in front of Clint with a harsh look on her face. She looked up at her six-foot tall son, "I don't even want to see you challenge Heero again ever! Do you hear me?"  
  
"Why not?"  
  
Wu Fei put his hand on Hilde's shoulder, "Why don't you let us tell him why not."  
  
"You aren't going to hurt him are you?"  
  
Quatre laughed, "I assure you Hilde that we won't hurt him."  
  
"Okay fine, maybe you can get through to him."  
  
"Come on guys, outside." Wu Fei said. Clint shrugged and followed Quatre, Trowa, and Wu Fei.  
  
Trowa turned around, "You coming Duo?"  
  
"Nah, I think you guys can handle it." He said.  
  
Trowa nodded and followed the others outside.  
  
  
  
Quatre closed the door behind them as they walked out into the backyard. Wu Fei began his explanation on why it wasn't a good idea to challenge Heero. "You don't seem to understand that Yuy can kill you in a matter of seconds boy." Wu Fei leaned up against the white wood railing of the porch.  
  
Clint laughed, "I get that whole ohhh perfect soldier shit. But you know this isn't war any more, and he's not just going to kill some innocent kid."  
  
"Hum." Wu Fei took out a handgun. Clint tensed up just slightly. "Do you know what it is to break down a gun?"  
  
"Yeah sure, that's when you dismantle it right?"  
  
"Someone who is knowledgeable about guns can break one down in about 45 seconds, an expert in roughly 30." He tossed the gun to Trowa with out warning. Trowa, who wasn't even looking snatched it out of the air. "Quatre- "  
  
"Way ahead of you." Quatre brought up his left arm and exposed his watch. "Trowa, break it down." He commanded.  
  
Trowa moved his hands swiftly across the heavy metal. In a very short time he called out, "Time."  
  
"18 seconds." Quatre said. He looked up, "Getting a little rusty there Trowa." Trowa 'humped' and reassembled the gun. He threw it back to Wu Fei.  
  
"At last count Heero could do it in 15." He informed Clint, who was unimpressed.  
  
"Yeah? So what he can disassemble a weapon, that doesn't mean he's going to kill me."  
  
Wu Fei ignored his comment and continued, "You are probably too young to remember the Gonnell massacre."  
  
"Yeah, but I've heard about it."  
  
"What do you know?"  
  
"That 13 leaders of the biggest organized crime family were murdered."  
  
"How?"  
  
"Their necks were all snapped that's how; all done by someone's bare hands. Never found the guy either, it was determined that it was probably an inside job though."  
  
"Why's that?" Trowa asked.  
  
"Well because there was no forced entry and they were in a place that only someone inside the gang would know about."  
  
"What if I told you that Heero was the one who killed those men?" Wu Fei said. Quatre closed his eyes and looked away, obviously pained by the statement.  
  
"I would say that you were bull shitting me."  
  
"Listen to me kid." Wu Fei said. "Heero was a preventer for a very short time. The Gonnell case was Heero's last. He couldn't stand killing any more people."  
  
"Heero found out about that cabin in the woods of L-1X102. He worked his way passed the security and burst in on the family. He was able to kill every single fully-grown man in that house with out being killed himself. He went a little overboard though, and insisted on doing it by hand—his favorite method." Trowa said.  
  
"He let it get personal. The Gonnells whacked an undercover preventer he was friends with, so he became a bit of a vigilante. The reason no one ever knew it was him-- not even the preventers themselves, was because he is that good. He can get in and out of a place with out being detected by the most sophisticated forensics, and he can kill someone and make it so there aren't even records that that person even existed in the first place." Quatre said.  
  
"If anyone does miss you I'll erase your name from the face of the colonies." Clint mumbled.  
  
"It's not a question of 'if he can kill you' but more of a question of 'when he can kill you'." Quatre said.  
  
Wu Fei gave a snorted laugh, "Or how he can kill you. You remember his list of methods?"  
  
"Yeah, did anyone keep count?" Trowa asked.  
  
"1,248." Quatre shuddered, "God that was a disturbing night."  
  
Wu Fei laughed, "You actually counted Quatre?"  
  
"Well yeah, it was hard not to. I mean the guy did explain over 100 different ways to break someone's neck."  
  
Clint held up his hands and waved them around, "Okay okay I get the point! I promise I won't push Heero now stop with all this killing crap it's making me sick."  
  
  
  
"Heero I think you should go talk to Mel-Anna." Relena said.  
  
"But Relena you know-"  
  
"I know you aren't good with words, but trust me on this hunny, you really should talk to her." She continued, unaware of Duo's eavesdropping.  
  
Heero sighed, "Relena." He said almost whining.  
  
Duo tried not to laugh, //Heero, whining!?//  
  
"Please Heero, it will be good for both of you."  
  
Heero sighed, "Fine I'll go talk to her."  
  
Heero knocked on the closed door at the top of the stairs. "Mel-Anna, are you in there?"  
  
"Leave me alone."  
  
Heero opened the door, completely ignoring her request. She was sitting in an armchair with her legs drawn up into her chest crying. Ashton was laid out on the bed, sleeping comfortably. "I said leave me alone."  
  
"I know what you said, but now it's time for you to hear what I have to say." He closed the door and leaned up against it.  
  
Mel looked up; she knew that this was serious. She wiped her tears, "Okay, I'm listening."  
  
"You remember when your mother told you about… us?"  
  
Mel nodded.  
  
Heero took in a deep breath and tried to continue, "Well um… after Sean died… God I couldn't stop blaming myself. I blamed myself for everything; for getting your mother pregnant, for his death, I blamed myself for being so stupid and letting that happen, for not knowing any better. I mean… I'll even admit it—I did beat myself up a bit much for what happened. Not just mentally, but physically for what happened." Heero pulled up his sleeve shirt and revealed the pink scars that traced his arms.  
  
"Oh father." Mel whispered.  
  
He tugged his sleeve back down, daunted even himself on how much pain he inflicted. "You're mother… she… well, she didn't like seeing me like that. She nailed me every day, trying to convince me that it wasn't my fault. But still… I felt like I had to blame someone, I felt that someone was to blame for what happened."  
  
Mel nodded, "Mom."  
  
Heero shook his head, "No." He paused for a moment. He began again as he moved away from the door, "I blamed my parents." He said as he opened a drawer of the desk that was in the room and drew out a piece of paper and a pen. With out breaking stride he continued to speak as he jotted something down on the paper, "I never knew my parents Mel. I couldn't tell you their names, what they looked like, I couldn't tell you anything about them since I don't remember them. That made it okay for me to blame them. I blamed them for not being there to teach me that sex should wait until marriage, or to be careful. You know, it's easy to place blame on someone when they aren't there to defend themselves." He folded the paper up.  
  
He looked up at Mel, their eyes met. Hers were beginning to moisten; she could guess what he was about to say. Heero continued in a lower voice, "So then when you… you know. By my definition of who was to blame… it became my fault."  
  
"Father, it's not your fault."  
  
"I wish I could believe you." He said coldly. Heero walked over to Mel. He knelt down in front of her so that their faces were even, "I'm so sorry Mel- Anna. I'm so sorry for how I treated you and for how cold I was being, but I realized that it was at least partially my fault. I should of brought you up better, I shouldn't of let you be alone with him."  
  
Mel brought her arm away from her shins and clasped her father's hand, "No, it's not your fault dad. It's mine."  
  
"Well then it's my fault for Sean's death."  
  
Mel was silent, she couldn't think of something to say.  
  
Heero turned his daughter's hand around and placed the square of paper in it. He stood and walked back over to the door, he continued to talk, but lowered his voice steadily as he approached the door. "No matter what way you put it, I'm still totally at fault, for at least something Mel, and that you can't dispute, you're silence says that."  
  
Mel unfolded the paper she read the few words on the page.  
  
Duo is listening. 


End file.
